


A Girl from the Kallters

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 06:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19312525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: While out exploring the valley and collecting items for her parents, Via stumbles across a group of friends. Willow belongs to willownorthbook and Daine belongs to HellishSam.





	A Girl from the Kallters

Olivia Eastvalley sighed and drew her coat closer around herself as the gate to her homeland closed behind her. Inanna, her best friend and lifelong companion, shuffled her hooves beneath her, letting out a snort of her own.

“See?” said Via to her horse. “You don’t want to do this either, do you?”

“Your parents told you to do this,” said Inanna, her voice as gentle and motherly as ever. “But it doesn’t mean that it’s comfortable to be out here.” Via snorted, her lips curving up in an amused smile. 

“Bet you wish you had the Fjord ability to be impervious to the cold now, huh?” said Via.

“Very much,” said Inanna with a swish of her tail. “But we mustn’t dally too long, we’ll freeze to death out here.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Via with another sigh that fogged in the air in front of her. “These Icenthistles and Kallstones and other important stuff won’t gather themselves.” Normally, Nanook and Sedna were sent out to gather these important items, but lately, the Kalltic leader had begun to worry about something going on outside the gate. Which would have been fine, only Via’s mother needed some more Icenthistle and Icenberries for some of the healing salves and potions that she made. Her father had been quick to nominate Via for such a task, and so, when she could have been exploring this beautiful valley just outside the gate to the land of the Kallters, Via was instead keeping an eye out for the things that she needed while she rode down the slope that led up to Icengate.

Ever since she’d been a little girl, Via had loved coming out here to explore this frozen place. It looked so different to her own home, and yet, there were a few little reminders of home out here. Most notably, the Icenthistle and Kallstone that were rare in her own land. It was too warm there for them to survive, along with the Icechestnuts and Icenberries. Her people had been exploring this land since long before she’d been born, using it to gather the important things that they needed. The supernatural cold here helped the frozen plants to thrive, and it was the perfect habitat for the Ice Squirrels. Someday, Via hoped to get an Ice Squirrel of her own.

While she gathered the items on her list, Via let her mind wander. She wondered if her mother would ever teach her how to make some of her potions, or if her father would want to train her as a warrior. Part of her really hoped that they wouldn’t, though. It had taken Via a long time, but finally, she’d decided that she wanted to be a kind of emissary of the Kallter people for the rest of Jorvik. They couldn’t hide behind their gate forever, no matter what their leader said. Sure, there was the Ice Witch in Dino Valley, but Via had never had any trouble with her. Hadn’t even seen her before, not really. According to her mother, the Ice Witch was fine, she was just a bit prickly and a bit of a recluse. The only new thing in the valley lately had been that strange, middle-aged man who’d crash-landed in a clearing up above the lake. Via had accompanied her father to investigate him, though they hadn’t spoken to him. They’d only nursed him back to health and prevented him from dying until he’d gotten back on his feet. Via still checked on him every so often, though. Lately, she’d noticed that he’d set up a camp of sorts, and there seemed to be an older woman with him. Or maybe that was just the colour of her hair. Maybe the crashes had startled their leader, or maybe it was whoever had been helping the first guy.

With the strange man in mind and her bag half-filled with random things that her people might need (she’d even found some white fur this time, snagged on the fences and trees), Via turned Inanna in the direction of his little camp and rode up there. But, before she’d gone too far, she slowed- or, rather, Inanna did.

“Inanna, what-?” Via started, but her horse hushed her quickly in her mind.

“I hear voices,” said Inanna.

“Wanna get that checked?” Via muttered. Inanna pinned her ears and nickered. Via laughed, but then, she heard it too. The sounds of people talking, hoofsteps approaching her. And Inanna was very, painfully, not as white as her surroundings. A sorrel mare stood out like a sore thumb in this snowy landscape.

Mercifully, though, using skills taught to her by her father, Via managed to hide up amongst the trees up a little slope. Together, she and Inanna peered through the ice-crusted pine branches down at the little group of young adults on horses. They were all rugged up and looked like they should have been warm, but horses and humans alike shivered. Even the horses that were covered with thick fur, or the horse that looked for all the world like it was descended from the Fjord horses that her people owned and sometimes traded with people who they deemed trustworthy. Via hadn’t been given one of her own, though. Instead, a Jorvegian had traded one of their Jorvik Warmbloods for a Fjord horse, and Via had been given that mare. Sometimes, she wished that she had a Fjord, but Inanna was wonderful company.

But Via was curious about these newcomers. Were they a threat? Should she fight them or tell her father or what? They certainly didn’t look like a threat. They looked half-frozen, honestly.

“Via, whatever you’re planning, don’t do it,” said Inanna.

“I’m just thinking,” said Via.

“Oh, Aideen save us,” Inanna muttered. She didn’t even act surprised when Via nudged her sides with her heels, urging her mare to walk on back down to the main road.

“Can we go home yet?” asked the man in the group with curly black hair. He seemed to be faring worse than the others, despite the long, fleece-lined black coat that he wore. “It’s fucking freezing.”

“Daine, we just got here,” said the girl with dark blue hair. “We need to do this stuff for Nic, he can’t explore this land on his own.”

“At least he’s paying well,” Daine muttered.

“I agree with Willow,” said a girl wearing glasses and, of all things, a cowboy hat. “But we should probably try to do this as quickly as possible anyway.”

“I can help with that,” Via finally spoke up now that she knew which language to speak. Of course, Jorvegian was a safe bet, but she could never be too sure. At once, Daine swore and the small group turned to face Via. “Hey there. I’m Via. Need a guide to the valley?”

“Where’d you come from?” Daine asked. He sounded scared, which was strange given he was easily twice the size of Via and looked like he could snap her in half.

“Icengate,” said Via with a shrug. “Are you the guys who’ve been helping that guy who crash-landed here?”

“Nic Stoneground? Yeah,” said the glasses-wearing girl. She had a strange accent, one that Via had never heard before. Not that she heard many in the homeland of the Kallters, but she’d definitely never heard this accent before. “Wait, you’re from Icengate?” She looked excited, though her companions still looked at least a little dubious.

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” said Via with a laugh. “I came out here looking for things for the other Kallters but I think I just found something more interesting.”

“The Kallter people? I thought you guys were just a myth,” said Willow. “Never thought I’d meet one myself.”

“We’re not exactly another species, you know,” said Via. “We’re just a reclusive people.” It was probably best not to paint her leader in a bad light, no matter how much she disagreed with his policy of keeping away from the outsiders.

“Sorry,” said Willow, looking down to fiddle with her fluffy bay mare’s mane. “I’ll let Louisa do the talking, she’s better at not putting her foot in her mouth.”

“When did I become the leader?” Louisa asked, looking to her two friends for guidance.

“You’re the oldest,” said Daine, still shivering. “Can we please start moving again before I freeze to death? I wanna get out of here sooner rather than later.”

“Back to the circus, you mean,” said Willow. Daine glared at her, blushing.

“What’s a circus?” Via asked. Now, all three of them looked at her. “Hey! Reclusive people, I couldn’t get out much. Wait. Did you guys crash-land here too?”

“No, we came through the pass,” said Louisa. “It melted, we’ve been helping Nic since we found him.”

“Seriously?” Via asked, excitement thrilling through her now. If she’d been cold at all, she definitely would have warmed up at that news. “Can I come with you guys when you leave?” Surely, she could lie to her parents, say it had just taken her a while to find all the stuff she needed. It wouldn’t be the first time. She liked to explore, it was in her blood.

“Yeah, I guess so,” said Louisa. “Are your parents okay with it, though?”

“Eh, they’ll be fine,” said Via with a shrug. Getting grounded would be worth it to see the outside world. She’d never seen a world without snow before, this would be exciting.

“After we do some exploring for Nic,” said Willow. “He needs us to find the Valley of Frozen Mist but honestly none of us have any idea where we’re going. I grew up in Jorvik and even I don’t know where we’re going.”

“Oh, sure, I love it there!” said Via. “Follow me. And on the way there, you can tell me all about Jorvik so I don’t look like a complete idiot when I go there.”

“Sure we won’t distract you?” Louisa asked. Via shook her head with a laugh.

“Nope, I’ve been going there as long as I can remember,” said Via. “This valley is like a second home to me, to all us Kallters, really. Or at least, it was. But I’m not sure if I should tell you guys all about that since you’re outsiders and all.”

“That makes sense,” said Louisa, nodding. “I’ll let Willow take this question, though, I’m not a native and neither is Daine.”

“Though he could tell you all about the circus,” Willow muttered under her breath.

“Shut up,” said Daine, glaring at her. Willow only smirked at him, and Via wondered for the first (but certainly not the last) time if these two were brother and sister.

“But seriously, what did you want to know?” Willow asked.

“Everything,” said Via. “How life works, I guess.” A large part of her was desperate to know how ‘normal’ people lived, though not for any bad reason. She just really wanted to know how the rest of the world lived, and wondered if she’d be able to live with them. 

And, while Via led the small, half-frozen group to the Valley of Frozen Mist, taking a road and a secret trail that was all too familiar, Willow told her all about life in Jorvik. And Via listened, fascinated. A lot of things were familiar, but the bigger things, the TVs, the computers, the internet, the community events? All of those seemed so new. The Kallter were not exactly technologically behind, they just used their technology for bigger things, better things, like powering the gate that kept them safe and providing electricity and running water to homes. The internet was too much of a risk, their leader had said to anyone who asked. But these parties, these discos, these special events… the Kallters had none of that. They were a community, yes, but they weren’t exactly an exuberant one. That would attract too much attention.

While the three friends set up their exploration equipment and wrote on a map, Via mulled over everything that she’d learned and the new desires that had arisen in her. She didn’t want to be stuck behind that gate all her life. She loved her people, and she loved her parents, and she loved her community. But she wanted to get out.

And so, when the group had done what they needed to do and received payment from Nic (who Via finally spoke to after stashing her bag of loot somewhere safe), the three friends took Via up out of the frozen valley. And, for the first time, Via beheld the beauty of Jorvik. For the first time, she found tears gathering in her eyes at how beautiful it was.

“Are you okay?” Louisa asked Via, concerned. Even Inanna seemed concerned, looking up at her rider.

“I’ve honestly never been better,” said Via, her voice choked with emotion. Everything was so… so green. So vibrant. There were birds, and she could see, at the bottom of this mountain path, houses and even a stable. In that moment, feeling the warm sun on her face, Via decided that she’d find a way to convince her parents to let her act as a scout in the rest of Jorvik. It was important for her to learn about the world, after all. And what better way than by joining this group of friends on their adventures?


End file.
